Brewers kick off 2024 season with weekend series in Queens
We’ve made it! After a long and warmer-than-usual offseason, it’s finally Opening Day. The Brewers are set to kick off the 2024 season with a weekend series against the New York Mets on Friday afternoon after the originally scheduled opener on Thursday was rained out.
The Brewers are coming off a season in which they went 92-70, finishing first in the NL Central. While this team has lost two of its leaders in manager Craig Counsell and ace Corbin Burnes, Milwaukee will still look to compete in what is expected to be a closely fought division.
On the other side, the Mets are coming off yet another disappointing season, finishing at 75-87 and in fourth place in the NL East. After firing Buck Showalter, the Mets brought on former Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza to be the team’s new manager. Ace Kodai Senga is on the shelf to open the season, meaning Brewer-killer Jose Quintana gets the ball on Opening Day.
Manager Pat Murphy has already said he expects Christian Yelich to bat in the No. 3 spot in the order, meaning Sal Frelick will likely bat leadoff to open the season with Garrett Mitchell on the injured list. Rhys Hoskins, William Contreras, and Willy Adames will also seemingly be featured toward the top of the batting order, while Andruw Monasterio, Joey Ortiz, Jackson Chourio, and Brice Turang will likely make up the back end of the lineup, depending on how Murphy likes to play the matchups.
On the other side, the Mets are anchored by Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor in the lineup. New York’s notable additions include Harrison Bader, former Brewers Adrian Houser and Tyrone Taylor, Luis Severino, and Sean Manaea. Let’s take a look at the pitching matchups.
Probable Pitching Matchups
Friday, March 29 @ 12:40 p.m: Freddy Peralta (0-0) vs. Jose Quintana (0-0)
With Burnes gone and Brandon Woodruff out for the season after surgery, Peralta is now the team’s ace. He had a solid 2023, finishing with a 3.86 ERA and a career-high 210 strikeouts across 30 starts, going 12-10 and tossing 165 2⁄3 innings. He said earlier this spring that he’d like to throw 200 innings this season, which is 34 1⁄3 more than his career-high set last season. In two career starts against the Mets, Peralta has a 3.18 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 11 1⁄3 innings, winning both games.
Quintana is one of the league’s eldest veterans at this point in his career, having made his debut all the way back in 2012 with the White Sox. Across 12 major league seasons, he’s 92-93 with a 3.74 ERA and 1,592 strikeouts in 1,799 1⁄3 innings. He spent 2023 with the Mets with a 3.57 ERA and 3.52 FIP across 13 starts. Quintana has had success against the Brewers his entire career, with a 2.90 ERA and a 9-5 record across 21 appearances (20 starts) with 118 strikeouts in 121 innings.
Saturday, March 30 @ 12:40 p.m: DL Hall (0-0) vs. Luis Severino (0-0)
Hall, one of two pieces acquired in the Burnes’ trade, is expected to be a key part of the Brewers pitching staff this season. He throws hard but has had command issues throughout his career. In 29 appearances across the last two seasons with the Orioles, he had a 4.36 ERA and a 2.44 FIP with 42 strikeouts across 33 innings of work. He had similar numbers in the minors, with a 3.49 ERA and 499 strikeouts across 353 1⁄3 innings. This will mark his first appearance against the Mets.
Severino is an eight-year veteran who spent his entire career with the Yankees before crossing town this offseason. In 727 1⁄3 career innings, he has a 3.79 ERA, 3.73 FIP, and 788 strikeouts. He’s coming off the worst season of his career in 2023, when he went 4-8 with a 6.65 ERA and 6.14 FIP across 19 appearances (18 starts). In two career starts against Milwaukee, Severino has struck out 15 batters in 11 innings with a 4.09 ERA.
Sunday, March 31 @ 12:40 p.m: Colin Rea (0-0) vs. Tylor Megill (0-0)
Entering spring training, Rea was probably the only pitcher with a guaranteed spot in the rotation outside of Peralta and Wade Miley, who opens the season on the IL. He made 26 appearances with the Brewers last season, including 22 starts, with a 4.55 ERA, 4.90 FIP, and 110 strikeouts in 124 2⁄3 innings. After signing a one-year deal with a club option for 2025 this offseason, he’s set for a bigger role with the Brewers this year. He’s made two career starts against the Mets, with a sterling 1.26 ERA and eight strikeouts in 14 1⁄3 innings of work.
Megill is the younger brother of Brewers reliever Trevor Megill, spending all three seasons of his young career with the Mets. In 58 career appearances (52 starts), Megill has a 4.72 ERA, 4.65 FIP, and 255 strikeouts in 263 1⁄3 innings. He’s made five appearances (three starts) against Milwaukee, allowing 11 runs in 14 1⁄3 innings (6.91 ERA) with 16 strikeouts.
Prediction
I’ll take the Brewers to win two of three in Queens, as the offense starts hot against another mediocre pitching staff from the Mets. I’ll take Milwaukee to lose on Opening Day before bouncing back with a pair of wins on Saturday and Sunday to head to Milwaukee with a 2-1 record.